Great Crested Flycatcher Box

Eastern Bluebird Box

 New Additions!

Just a quick note on a few "new additions" for the golf course.  Brian Beckner from Native Bird Boxes was here Monday to install 20 new bird boxes.  The variety of boxes are species specific for our environment.  We are now equipped to attract Eastern Bluebirds, Red Breasted Woodpeckers, Screech Owls, Carolina Wrens and Great Crested Flycatchers.  Our existing Purple Martin houses will be refurbished and relocated to enhance their population.  We have two Osprey poles located on #9 and #16, we will attempt to add some nesting material to enhance the habitat.  One surprising find during the visit was the activity in the Wood Duck box located in the lake left of #7 tee behind #8 green.  It is nice to be a part of a project that encourages our wildlife population.  All of the boxes were installed with nesting material to attract the proper species.  Brian will monitor the boxes and report the activity.  He is looking forward to giving guided tours this Fall that will encompass our role in wildlife management.

Below are a couple of pictures showing the cart path extensions on #4 and #15.  The additional cart path will provide for more exit points and reduce the wear and tear that was prevalent on these holes.   We are in the process of re-grading a few other cart path ends to improve wear resistance and functionality.   

Thank you for patience during these summertime closures.  The cultural practices being employed during this time will have a long lasting impact on the quality of our playing surfaces.  

#15 Cart Path addition

#4 Cart Path addition

Fairway aerificarion

Fairway verti-cutting

 Getting our Ducks in a row!

 After a couple of downpours to start the week, Mother Nature has given us clear skies to complete our work.  It all started on Tuesday.  The greens received a heavy vert-cutting followed by an ample amount of topdressing.  Once this was completed we aerified greens with 1/2 inch coring tines.  The cores that were removed are being re-used to fortify lake banks and grow in a new nursery green.  Our nursery green was over used in the past and had become contaminated with off type bermuda grass.  Over the last few weeks we have killed of the old grass, removed the top 4 inches, added fresh greens mix and incorporated the cores from our on-course greens.  This type of grow-in should take 3-5 weeks for a new green to appear.

Wednesday we brought our army to the tees.  Verti-cut followed by the process of removing the access thatch.  This process includes hand raking and a mechanical sweeper that acts as a vacuum to remove the debris.  This is followed by topdressing and aerification.

On to Thursday and the four day War with our Fairways.  Cricle cut, aerification, verti-cut in two directions, vacuum, topdress and drag.  One simple sentence to re-cap a mountain of work.  Close to 500 tons of sand was applied to the fairways and more than 250 yards (9 Dump trucks) of thatch was removed from the golf course.

I am unbelievably PROUD of the accomplishments of our team.  The ability to adapt to changing conditions, the dedication to completing the job and the pride they have in the product they are presenting makes my job a lot easier.

On tap for next week is recovery of the playing surfaces, collar re-grading, wall to wall fertility, cart path repair and some MINOR tree trimming.  

As you can see by the picture below, the ducks are in a row.

#13 Fairway Topdressed

#13 after dragging

New Nursery Green

Ducks in a row #12

Air2G2

Air2G2 Demo

 Space Age Equipment at Stonebridge

Today we had the pleasure to experience a  demonstration from the new Air2G2 air injection machine.  This service is designed to relieve compaction and infuse oxygen into the root zone.  This is accomplished by the three rods that insert an 8 inch tine into the ground where compressed air is injected into the soil profile.  The effective area for each tine is between 18 to 36 inches based on the soil conditions.  During our "demo" you could see the turf lift briefly as the air was injected below the surface. The benefits of this type of machine are catching on quickly, many courses are using this service in conjunction with normal aerification and some courses are purchasing this machine to use on a regular basis.  I was quite impressed with the process and I will monitor the results. 

Demo on #11

Air2G2 air injection tine

Fairway stripes

The photo above shows the "stripes" in the fairways that occurred during our last mowing on Monday.  The cause of theses stripes is the overwhelming amount of grain in our fairways.  The greener areas are produced when we are mowing with the grain.  The browner, more scalped, areas are the result of a cut against the grain.  Changing directions and circle cutting helps reduce this affect.  The most prudent way to reduce grain is to verti-cut, which we have schedule for our next closing.  The current process of an incremental lowering in the height of cut will aid in the effectiveness of the vertical mowing.  The appearance may not be ideal but the health of the turf and the playability remains our focus.  

Please feel free to e-mail with any questions or concerns at mmetzger@stonebridgecountryclub.com.  Happy 4th of July and I hope everyone is having a great summer.

Dry Turf #15

Lightning Strike #7

  "Wild Life"  

The one thing I love most about my responsibilities here at Stonebridge is there will never be a dull moment.  From the golf course to the common grounds, no two days are ever the same.  Thankfully, we have a great team in place that rises to each and every challenge.

As the golf course was healing from our first closure, we ran into a very odd stretch of weather.  An eight day span of high pressure from June 18 through June 25.  I can't remember the last time we had this pseudo cold front arrive during this time of year.  There are more advantageous than disadvantageous to this type of weather pattern.  There is plenty of sunlight to enhance carbohydrate production, lower disease pressure and no weather delays for golf or maintenance.  One of the drawbacks to this dry weather is that our underdeveloped areas of turf tend to lose moisture at a higher rate as evident by the sodded areas on the putting surface of #15.  This can and did happen overnight.  We have combated these areas with extra "hand watering" and a healthy dose of wetting agents.  They are quickly recovering and will continue to get stronger throughout the summer.

I also included is a picture of a lightning strike on #7 fairway.  We have returned to the usual pattern of hit or miss afternoon storms.  Our sea-breeze tends to keep the majority of the rain just East of Stonebridge, however, when a storm does reach our area it packs a punch.  Please use caution at all times, these storms can be very unpredictable.  

Finally, I have included a few pictures of our resident wildlife.  We just completed the steps necessary to maintain our certification with the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary for Golf Courses.  We take great pride in providing a healthy habitat for all of our residents, both indoor and outdoor.

   

Topdressing

Deep Tine Aerification

 Aerification vs. Mother Nature

Aerification of Collars

Fairway Circle Cutting

                                                                         







The trials and tribulations of competing for time on the golf course with Mother Nature.  She has decided to open up the skies each of the last three days at the most inopportune time.  The current tally is 3.4 inches all coming in the one o'clock hour on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  The good news is we are on schedule to complete the majority of the work through the weekend, with a little cooperation from "you know who".  This should give us time next week to clean up and heal up.

A great deal off work was accomplished since my last post.  The first video shows the process of topdressing the greens.  This fresh greens mix will fill the holes left by aerification and dilute the organic matter that forms throughout the year.  This same program is being applied to the tees.  I included a clip of the tractors equipped with the Deep Tine aerifiers.  This is another first at Stonebridge.  The benefits of this application is the depth of these tines(8 inches) provide increased control over our soil profile.   Our standard aerification is limited to 3-5 inches.  This will lead to a stronger more resilient  turf.  We are taking a more aggressive approach to aerifying the collars with the goal of improving the surface drainage off the greens.  The final video shows the practice of circle cutting.  Following aerification and dethatching the turf stands up the the point where circle cutting will help reduce grain.  It can be a dizzying task, but well worth it.

Once again, I have to recognize the efforts of my staff.  They have adapted to the changing conditions and exceeded my expectations.  They will all be here through the weekend to "fight the good fight".  Maybe we can win a few rounds against our formidable foe.

Roughs Aerification

Greens Aerification

Fairway Aerification

 A quick update of the early proceedings of our first course closure.  The videos included in this post reflect a glimpse of the work being accomplished in the first few days.

Aerification of the roughs were completed Wednesday morning.

The putting surface  received a verti-cutting, aerification and core removal on Tuesday.  The topdressing of the greens was halted by 1.5 inches of rain on Wednesday afternoon.  The rain is a welcome sight but the timing is not always advantageous.  We will completed the topdressing on Thursday in preparation for our Deep Tine aerification on Friday morning.

The one project I am most excited about, is the fairway aerification.  This is the first time this machine is being employed on a wide scales basis. The one inch tines will provide superior compaction relief and the increased porosity will enhance the root system.  The end result will be a stronger more stress resistant turf.  With good weather and no mechanical issue this process will take at least five days to complete.  

Tee Verti cutting

The tees will be following the same program as the greens - verti-cut, aerify and topdress.  I posted this video of the tee verti-cutting to show the "rooster tail" of thatch being removed from the turf.      This is a favorite of every superintendent that is           maintaining Bermuda grass. 

     This is my first attempt with video presentation,           not quite Oscar worthy but it is a start.   Stay             tuned for more updates.                                                                                                                                                                   

Plugs on Putting Green

Dry area #18

Preparing for the Summer Madness

This time of year we tend to focus on the activities that will enhance our Summer Maintenance program.  Our first goal is to remove any and all encroachment onto the putting surfaces.  This includes edging the greens and plugging the contaminated areas with fresh turf from the Nursery Green. Two other major efforts are thatch control and weed management.  Thatch is controlled by vertical mowing and topdressing.  The vertical blades sever the the lateral growth and the sand dilutes the organic material that produces thatch.  This is followed by an aggressive aerification program that helps provide a consistent soil profile throughout our putting surfaces.  The weed management program started with our Pre-emergent application in early Spring.  This prevented most weeds from germinating.  The follow up plan is to hand pull or spot spray the remaining weeds.  A clean course is paramount for aerification.  

As most of you have noticed, the golf course is starting to show signs of the hot and dry weather.  Isolated dry areas are being treated with hand watering and wetting agent.  This will allow the soil to hold more moisture for the plant.  Our lake levels are maintaining and I do not expect any harsh water restrictions.  We will manage these areas until Mother Nature decides it is time to start the "Rainy Season".

As a quick reminder, the golf course will be closed from May 27th until June 6th.  This extended closing will provide great conditions for our re-opening date of Saturday, June 7th.  Thank you for your patience as we transform the golf course into "Our little slice of Heaven".

Vertical Mowing to remove thatch